1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to adapters for coupling dissimilar, normally incompatible generators and probes, and, in particular, to adapters for coupling dissimilar, normally incompatible radiofrequency generators and probes.
2. Related Art
Physicians in today""s health care environment require cost-effective solutions to patient care. For surgeons in particular, the trend favoring minimally invasive procedures aids this requirement through technological advances that make costly procedures and expensive surgery obsolete. For example, medical device manufacturers for many years have harnessed the therapeutic benefits of RF energy in creating devices that deliver minimally invasive localized therapies to patients. Common radiotherapies include tissue incision, coagulation, and ablation, to name just a few. Concentrated RF energy delivered to a targeted tumor or growth in a region of the body may be used to ablate the tumor or growth.
Modern radiotherapy systems are both modular and proprietary. A modular radiotherapy system includes individual system components distributed and sold separately. For instance, a modular radiotherapy system includes a separately sold radio frequency generator and disposable needle electrode probes. Modular means that the system components are interchangeable. A single-use probe may be discarded after use in a procedure and another probe may be attached to the generator for use on the next patient. The proprietary nature of such radiotherapy systems, however, prevents one manufacturer""s probe from working with another manufacturer""s generator, and vice versa. Thus, hospitals, doctors, and other purchasers making a one-time equipment and/or time investment in a generator lock themselves into a single radiotherapy system manufacturer""s solution because only the same manufacturer""s probes work with the purchased generator. It should be noted, even if a large capital expenditure is not made in the purchase of a generator (e.g., the generator could be leased in some circumstances), once one or more physicians spend the time to become familiar with a particular manufacturer""s generator, it is unlikely that they will switch over to another manufacturer""s generator, preventing other manufacturer""s probes from being purchased and used.
System incompatibility inhibits industry competition of probe sales because purchasers are locked into only purchasing probes compatible with the generator previously purchased (typically from the same manufacturer as the one that made the generator being used). The inventor of the present invention has recognized that a need exists for an adapter and method to make normally incompatible probes and generators compatible so that purchasers are not forced purchase probes from the same manufacturer as the one that made the generator that is being used.
An aspect of the invention involves an adapter to couple a dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe and radio frequency generator. The adapter includes an adapter body having a proximal connector to be coupled to the generator, a distal connector to be coupled to the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe, and one or more electrical elements to emulate one or more operating parameters of a compatible, native radiotherapeutic probe to interface the generator with the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe.
An additional aspect of the invention involves a kit of adapters to couple a dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe and a variety of radio frequency generators. The kit includes a variety of different adapters to couple a dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe and a variety of radio frequency generators. Each adapter includes an adapter body carrying a proximal connector to be coupled to a radio frequency generator, a distal connector to be coupled to the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe, and one or more electrical elements to emulate one or more operating parameters of a compatible, native radiotherapeutic probe to interface the generator with the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe.
Another aspect of the invention involves a kit to couple a dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe and a variety of radio frequency generators. The kit includes an adapter having an adapter body carrying a proximal connector to be coupled to a radio frequency generator, a distal connector to be coupled to the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe, and one or more electrical elements to emulate one or more operating parameters of a compatible, native radiotherapeutic probe to interface the generator with the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe; and one or more connectors to connect the proximal connector of the adapter to one or more of a variety of radio frequency generators.
A further aspect of the invention involves a method of using an adapter to couple a dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe and radio frequency generator. The method includes providing an adapter having a proximal connector to be coupled to the radio frequency generator, a distal connector to be coupled to the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe, and one or more electrical elements to emulate one or more operating parameters of a compatible, native radiotherapeutic probe to interface the generator with the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe; coupling the proximal connector to the radio frequency generator; coupling the distal connector to the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe; and using the adapter to emulate one or more operating parameters of the compatible, native radiotherapeutic probe to interface the generator with the dissimilar, normally incompatible radiotherapeutic probe.
Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.